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Mark Mackie was cut during training camp and then called back, pictured at an Edmonton Eskimos practice in preparation to face the Toronto at Commonwealth Stadium in this file photo taken July 12, 2018.Ed Kaiser/ Postmedia, file

“Definitely, there’s a lot of questions about will school start in September, will it be online? Will I get to meet other people who are going to be in the class? So there’s a lot of uncertainty,” said Mackie, whose thoughts remain with his former Edmonton Eskimos teammates as he looks ahead to med school.

“And I’m feeling for the guys because we just don’t know, you hear conflicting reports every day: Is the season going to happen? How short is it going to be? There’s so much in the air right now, it’s a crazy time if you’re in the CFL or not in the CFL.”

After two seasons on the defensive line wearing green and gold, the 25-year-old native of London, Ont., has been admitted to Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine.

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“I was pretty much training as if I wasn’t going to get in,” said Mackie, who submitted his application in October while still suiting up with the Eskimos. “Then if it didn’t materialize, I would still be ready to go with Edmonton. And I signed a new contract, so everything was in place if it didn’t work out.

“So it’s kind of good now to know I don’t need to be working out seven times a week. Life changes a little bit, but I was pretty much just trying to keep the off-season as similar as possible, just in case.”

While football became his Plan B, Mackie said he spent the past two seasons living the dream of every Canadian kid who ever set foot on a gridiron.

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“It’s been unbelievable. I was drafted in the eighth round and I really can’t think of too many guys drafted in that round who are the ones to retire,” said Mackie, who outlasted other defensive tackles taken in his draft year, including first-overall pick Faith Ekakitie. “To even be able to make this decision and be in this position, my career is more than probably could have dreamed of and I accomplished more than I ever thought I could.

“So I’ve definitely got no regrets and playing in Edmonton, and just playing in the CFL with all those guys, you’ve kind of just got to pinch yourself every day sometimes. You’re running through the tunnel saying, ‘Wow, this is happening.’ So I know I’m going to miss it, big time, and I worked really hard to get myself into that position, that’s why it’s definitely a bitter-sweet day to let that go. But I’m going to have a lot of really, really fond memories.”

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The six-foot-one, 255-pound McMaster product signs off with four tackles and a sack to go with 13 special-teams takedowns in 29 games since being drafted in the eighth round (67th overall) in 2017.

After returning to play a final year in university, Mackie found himself among 20 players cut from Eskimos training camp in 2018, only to have mounting injuries on the defensive line prompt a call back from the club and make his pro debut in front of friends and family in Toronto in Week 4.

He earned a tackle and a sack in that shining moment of perseverance, which stands out as his favourite memory as he makes his exit from the game.

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At the same time, he couldn’t imagine being a player just drafted into the league or, maybe worse yet, a senior in university trying to make the jump to the pros next year.

“I feel for those guys because it’s an incredibly exciting time and I remember when I got drafted, all I wanted to do was be out in Edmonton and get things started,” he said. “Something’s going to happen, those guys just have to sit tight and keep working and just be ready for this year, next year, whenever it is. But it’s definitely a knock on the excitement when you’ve just gotten drafted.

“And even the veterans. We should be at training camp this weekend.”

Instead, self-isolation has acted like a bit of a time machine for Mackie, as he spends time reconnecting with family for the first time in a long time, before eventually moving on to tackle his next field of expertise.

“I’ve just been staying at my parents’ house, everybody’s home right now with people working from home so it’s been kind of crazy that way,” he said. “It hasn’t been this way since high school, so I’m sure my parents are loving it too.

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